Although the stamps and postal history of Australia have been thoroughly studied and explored by numerous expert philatelists over a period of many years, there always remains something fresh to discover.
This is high-lighted by the revelation in the March 1967 Gibbons’ Stamp Monthly of the existence of a set of essays for a Commonwealth issue dating from the very early years of Federation.
Actually, this same set of essays was recorded in an American publication but as the book is not widely circulated in Australia, the listing it contained has not excited much attention from collectors in this country.
The second (revised) edition of Volume Four of Billig’s Philatelic Handbook, published in 1952, was devoted largely to a specialised catalogue of the stamps of the Australian Commonwealth, compiled by Wm. H. Buckley of the society of Australasian Specialists. Included in this was a listing by Thomas F. Morris, by courtesy of the Essay-Proof Society, of a series of essays designed by Adolph Grass and essayed in 1907-10 by the Kihn Bros. Bank Note Co. of New York.
In his article in G.S.M. the Editor, Mr. Russell Bennett says that he has been shown a small black oblong album containing these designs, together with some book-plates and photographs used as sources of designs for some of the central vignettes. Mr. Bennett does not say who showed him the album but it seems safe to guess that at some time it has been in the custody of, or available to, the Essay-Proof Society or some of its members and thus served as the basis of the Morris listing in Billig’s Handbook. If, as the listing shows, the designs were prepared about 1907 – 1910, it seems probably that the death of Edward VII in May 1910 could have occurred before the Kihn Bros. Banknote Co. was able to submit the album to the Australian postal authorities and this would explain why no record of them exists in Departmental archives.
Mr. Bennett’s article, entitled “The Issue that Never Was” is reproduced here in full:
Late last year I was shown a small black oblong album inscribed “PROPOSED/ POSTAGE STAMP DESIGNS/ COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA” in gold letters. The contents were intriguing. Turning over the eight or nine heavy black card leaves was like turning back the years to the beginning of the century.
Each page bears a beautifully prepared design, some in black, some in colour, for a set of Edward VII stamps which were never issued!
Also enclosed in the album are some of the sources of design for the pictorial portions of the stamps. Some designs have as many as three different centres suggested, and each page has photographs of the design reduced down to stamp size to give the effect which would be achieved in the finished stamp. The last page in the album shows the complete range of designs in reduced size; all the photographs have obviously been retouched by the artist.
I wanted to know more about these items. I wrote to the Director-General of Posts in Melbourne. I received the following reply:
“Dear Sir,
I refer to your letter of 26th October, 1966, with which you forwarded photographs of designs for Edward VII Australian stamps.
These have been viewed with a great deal of interest, particularly as the illustrations had not previously come to the attention of officers concerned with the philatelic side of the Department’s activities.
While it is known that a number of essays from various sources were submitted to the Department during the period 1901-12, very few such are now held in the archives. Indeed, records of these are sparse, a number of the relevant papers being no longer extant, so that it is not possible to indicate if the essays or suggested designs in your possession were ever viewed by the Department.
It can be said, with certainty, that the Federal Postmaster-General’s Department did not conduct any public stamp design competitions prior to 1911, although a limited competition, open to selected artists and stamp printing establishments, took place in 1903. The designs may have been prepared for either occasion but it is thought more likely that they belong to the 1903 period. However, as mentioned, the Department has no specific evidence in support.
It is much regretted that it is not possible to provide the background information which would be so useful in the compilation of the article you have in mind.
If you agree, the Department would like to retain, for inclusion in its official collection, the photographs which you forwarded.
Yours faithfully.
T. A. Housley.
Director-General.”
Of course, I was only too pleased to let them have the photographs for the official collection, but I still have to guess why the stamps never got any further than the drawing board.
The Commonwealth of Australia was founded on January 1, 1901, but the first postage stamps for the Federation were not issued until 1913. In the interim two stamp design competitions took place – in 1903 and 1911. It seems significant that each of these was held after the death of the reigning sovereign – Queen Victoria died in 1901 and King Edward VII in 1910. My own theory, based on these facts, is that these proposed designs were prepared during the latter reign, but issuance of the stamps was cut short by the King’s death. The fact that these are all hand-drawn essays would explain why there is no record in the Post Office files, as there would be only one of each item and these have all been carefully preserved together in the album.
However, it would have been possible for some of the photographs to have circulated. Perhaps some readers seeing this feature will know more about them than I have been able to discover. If so. I should be delighted to hear from them.
Handbook Listing.
The Billig’s Handbook listing gives details of the sizes of the designs, the sizes of the proposed stamps, and the colours in which the essays are prepared.
The proposed stamp sizes were: 2d.. 1d.. 5d., 6d. and 9d., vertical format 17 x 20 mm.; 1/-, vertical 19.5 x 25 mm.; 5/- and 1o/-, horizontal, 32 x 19.5 nun. Two central vignette designs were given for each of the 3d., 6d. and 10/- stamps, and three for the 1/- value. These alternative vignettes have been placed in the relevant frame for the purposes of the photographs here reproduced by courtesy of “Gibbons’ Stamp Monthly.”
Here are details of the designs as recorded by Billig’s Handbook:–
2d. – Dusky blue. Design measures 67 x 81 mm. The drawing is in watercolour wash.
One of the bookplates mentioned by Mr. Bennett served as a design source for this stamp. Entitled “Rounding up a Straggler on a Cattle Run,” by Frank Mahoney, engraved by A. Hayman, it has been faithfully reproduced but in reverse. on the stamp.
3d. – Black. Size of the stamp design is 68 x 80 mm. Frame drawing is in watercolour wash with photo vignette – retouched with wash on background mounted in place. It shows a portrait of Queen Alexandra.
An alternative centre, showing profiles of the King and Queen, is also black and measures 52 mm. diameter. It consists of an assembly of the two busts in half-tone, with background retouched with wash.
5d. – Black. Design size is 68 X 80.5 nm. Frame drawing is in water-colour wash with photo vignette of Edward VII, retouched with wash in background, mounted in place.
6d. – Deep red. Design size 1s 67 x 80 mm. and the vignette shows view of Walhalla Gold Mine with caption. This centre is developed from a bookplate by Schell which was found in the album.
An alternative centre pictures a mob of sheep and a drover and cap tioned “Sheep Raising.” Source of this design is not known. This vignette measures 40 x 46 mm. and LS also in deep red.
All the low-value essays are shown here, including alternative centres for the 3d. and 6d. values. The 2d. Cattle-raising and 6d. Walhalla Gold Mine were derived from book-plates found in the album or proofs.
9d. – Black. This shows profile portraits of Queen Alexandra (left) and Edward VII (right) in separate ovals, facing each other. Design measures 67 x 80 mm. Frame drawing is in watercolour wash withphoto vignettes, retouched with wash in background, mounted in place.
In this essay for a 9d. stamp Queen Alexandra faces King Edward VII. The essay is in black.
1/- – Dusky blue-green. Central vignette shows a world globe with Australia to the front. The design measures 80 x 101.5 mm. and is in watercolour wash.
First alternative centre features an eagle’s head, looking to right with beak open. It is superimposed on a faint Union Jack background and there is a crown above its head. Mr. Bennett records an engraving published by T. & W. Bone of London as the source of this design. The watercolour wash design measures 54 mm. diameter, and is the same colour as the frame.
Three versions of the 1/-, all in blue-green colour.
Second alternative centre shows the Australian Arms, also done in watercolour wash, in dusky bluegreen as before. Diameter of this design is 52 mm.
5/- – Dusky blue-green. Design size is 128 x 78 mm. and is drawn in watercolour wash. It features an allegorical group representing Australia. The central draped female figure is reported by Mr. Bennett to resemble the figure in a statue shown on a photograph found in the album. This depicts a statue of a seated female figure on a pedestal alongside steps leading to the doorway of a substantial building with “U.S. CUSTOMS HOUSE over the door.
1o/- – Dusky orange. Design size is 128 x 78 mm. and shows a seated female figure, also probably based on the statue in the photograph referred to above.
An alternative design, freely adapted from a bookplate inscribed “AUSTRALIEN u. OZEANIEN,” by C. E. Doepler, is an oval vignette measurine 97 x 62 mm. in the same colour.
Three designs for the two higher values are pictured here, the 5/- in blue-green and the 10/- orange. The centres of the two top essays seem to hove been derived in part from a photo of a statue “somewhere in U.S.A.” which was included an the album with the essays.
The eight stamp designs are all on thick light cream artist’s cardboard, 151 x 203 mm. The same material, cut to shape, was used for the alternative vignettes.
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